


Backstory

by Jeniouis



Series: Howard Stark Centered Fics [26]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Brotherly Love, Brothers AU, Cheating, Child Abuse, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Good Father!Howard, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape, Infidelity, M/M, Mpreg, Strong Language, Teen Parenting, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-04-03 16:44:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4107874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeniouis/pseuds/Jeniouis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>“Okay. Dad, will you tell me your life story?” Tony asked. His dad gave him a forceless glare. “I’m just curious.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Tony asked his dad to tell him his life story in an attempt for some father/son bonding. The story is entirely more heartbreaking than he thought it would be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello All,
> 
> This idea has been in my head for a while and I hope you like it. This story is actually the backstory (see the creative title?) to the main story I'm in the midst of planning right now. I hope this first chapter isn't boring, it's a prologue of sorts, a set up.
> 
> But for some real background notes you actually need to know. In order for Howard to not be at a should-be-dead age for our real-life present time, I bumped his birth year up to 1934. Bucky and Steve are going to fight in the Vietnam War. Bucky was born in 1947 and Steve was born in 1949. Now, I do realize changing the wars like that would normally have a huge affect on the story and such but I swear I will make this make sense...somehow, someway. Tony was born in 1970, so in this first chapter Howard is 49 and Tony is 15.
> 
> That's it. I hope you enjoy this story.

1985 

Tony heard him when he came in. He hadn’t expected him to come home so quickly but Tony did know coming in here was a gamble. And going through his stuff—Tony might just be suicidal. He froze dead in his tracks when he heard the door creak open and footsteps stop. Tony had been wondering how he should handle this predicament when he heard his dad come in the front door. He thought about ditching all evidence of his secret snooping and running to his room but in all honesty…Tony had questions. And he needed answers to those questions…Okay, maybe needed was a strong word but he really, _really_ wanted to know. 

“Hey dad, fancy seeing you home so early.” Tony said, whipping around towards his dad, trying to sport his best, guiltless smile. His dad didn’t say anything as he set his briefcase on the floor and took off his coat. He looked exhausted…and pissed. But if he was tired, he probably wouldn’t feel like arguing so Tony might be able to escape, harm-free. “Jarvis just told me that dinner is in the oven so we might as well—” 

“Tony, what are you doing in here?” His dad said calmly, but Tony knew when his dad was angry. It was in his scent. It was the one thing, the one rule, his dad was really strong about. Don’t go into his office! Period! Tony didn’t even know what the big deal was. He had been in this room for hours and the only things he had been able to dig was a few, super old pictures of two guys. A blonde and a brunet. They were always together, the brunet would have his arm swung around the blonde’s shoulder, and they would both be smiling as if their world were all champagne as roses. 

“Well actually, I was just leaving.” Tony said as he tried to bulldoze past his dad but the omega grabbed his arm, quirking an eyebrow. “Fine, I was just curious. You can’t dangle some big, mysterious secret in front of someone and expect them not to get curious.” Tony said, knowing damn well that didn’t answer the question. His dad glanced at the pictures in Tony’s hand and when his eyes met Tony’s again, his were livid…and hurt. 

“It’s just…wanted to know, you know?” Tony said. His dad glared at him. “We don’t talk. Mom used to tell me about her family, about her childhood, about her life.” His dad’s expression softened then, to sympathy. Nothing more than that. His dad didn’t really take his mother’s death that hard. He seemed saddened but not devastated like a normal sub would be when their alpha passed. Tony took it hard. He was pretty close to his mom. Maybe losing her is what made him want to get close to his dad suddenly…well, want even more. 

“But with you everything is a secret. You’re aloof from me, distant.” Tony said, matter-of-factly. He meant it matter-of-factly. Not in a bad way, he thought he was just stating a well-known fact. But he regretted his words when his dad gave him the most flustered and upset look Tony had ever seen on him. A look he probably should have worn when he was informed that his wife was dead instead of the pensive, near inconvenienced look that he wore. 

“I don’t mean to be, Tony. I really don’t. I just…” His dad trailed off, glancing back down at the pictures in Tony’s hand, taking them and rubbing a finger over their faces. “I’m sorry.” His dad said. Tony didn’t know if he was talking to Tony, to the guys in the picture, or both. “I’m sorry. I guess I have grown…quiet and distant over the years.” His dad said. Then looked back up at Tony, miffed. “But you could have asked instead of breaking a rule.” 

“Okay. Dad, will you tell me your life story?” Tony asked. His dad gave him a forceless glare. “I’m just curious.” 

“Curiosity killed the cat, Tony.” His dad said flatly. 

“But you just told me to ask.” Tony defended. His dad sighed sharply but just looked up at Tony, thoughtfully. After a moment he sighed again, holding up the pictures for Tony to see. 

“These are your brothers.” His dad said. To say that Tony was speechless was a vast understatement. 

“Um...okay." Tony said once he was able to wrap his mind around what his dad just said. "Care to ease into that shocking revelation.” His dad huffed in amusement. 

“These are your older brothers. That’s all you need to know. I think me telling you my story would be…too damn sad.” His dad said. 

“For me or for you?” Tony asked. 

“For you.” His dad said simply, moving to the other side of the room to put the pictures back where Tony found them. 

“But you always say to be proud of the past because it’s what makes you who you are, right?” Tony said. Surely, his dad didn’t truly think he would let it go just like that. His dad grumbled an affirmation. “Well then, your past is my past. I need to know where I came from, don’t I.” Tony said. His took a deep a breath but stopped, turning to Tony. 

“Tony, you are entirely too protective to hear my story. You practically live in safe-mode as it is.” 

Tony feigned offense, “Excuse me for wanting to protect my omega father.” Tony said with entirely too much passion. His dad chuckled a little, looking back down at the pictures he hadn’t tucked away yet. Then he pursed his lips the way he did when he got an idea. 

“They’re omegas too. You’re brothers.” His dad said offhandedly, giving Tony a look when the alpha plopped down in one of his dad’s office chairs, elbows on his knees, head buried in his hands. “Tony, seriously, I’ll tell you if you want me to but it’s not a happy story.” 

Tony sighed, “If you don’t want to tell me, I won’t push it.” Tony said sincerely. His dad took a deep breath as he sat in a chair beside Tony. His demeanor was pretty chill but he was clenching and unclenching his hands nervously. 

“Fine, I’ll tell you but just remember that everything happened a very long time ago, barely affects me anymore.” His dad. And probably believed it but Tony highly doubted that. 

“Alright.” Tony said, easily enough. Though he was getting the feeling that he was a bit in over his head. 

His dad sighed and patted his knee, “Alright, but I’m not telling you until next week. That’s your punishment for breaking into my office.” His dad said as he rose to his feet, walking towards the door. Tony groaned, chasing his dad out. Trying to explain how the wait would literally kill him…probably. 


	2. Giacomo Barnes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I was typing away, I realized that this was purely a conversation between two people. I hope to God it's not borning. And I hope it's in character. I've added some tags, mpreg, and warnings for mentions of domestic violence. And I want to throw a trigger warning out there because there's mentions of rape of a minor. Nothing is graphic, only implied but tread softly.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this.

“I was born in Impruneta, Italy. A comune outside of Florence. Back home, there was a strict gender hierarchy.” Howard said, watching Tony listening to him intently. His baby boy was amusing. Tony was so animated. He kind of wished Tony had been his second child, or at least had been born when he was younger. That way Howard could keep up with him. “Alphamales were on the top, they ran everything. Omegas were at the very bottom, having no rights. Especially us omegamales. We were seen as a disgrace.”

“You are not a disgrace!” Tony interrupted immediately with all the sincere offense in the world. Howard chuckled a little from his spot in his favorite black chair in the living room, across from Tony who was perched on the couch. He lit a cigar, glancing over at Tony. “You are not going to make it through this story.” Howard said, amusedly. Tony gave him a look.

“I’ll be fine. I was just saying.” Tony said. Though he seemed to becoming dubious. “If you could live through it, then I can listen it. A few protective nerves might get struck along the way but I’ll be fine.” Tony said confidently. Howard smiled. “Continue.” Tony said easily as he sat back on the couch, getting comfortable. Howard sighed, with a shrug.

“Omegas weren’t allowed to work or get an education. So I didn’t go to school. Some of the more wealthy families hired some private tutors for their omega children but most families were too traditional and it wasn’t like omegas could use their education after they gained. And omegas were seen as weak and useless and since we couldn’t work, we were unneeded added expenses. So omegas were sold—”

“Sold? What do you mean sold? Like slavery sold?” Tony interrupted again, sitting erect suddenly. Howard ran a hand down his face. His poor protective boy.

“No exactly like slavery but…think of it as a dowry.” Howard said. Tony took a deep breath, seemingly taking some peace with that. Howard hoped he wouldn’t think too hard on the matter.

“But, there’s no dowry system America. So did you meet mom in America or did she buy you?” Tony said, and he was starting to look so betrayed. That was the other reason Howard was reluctant to go through this with Tony. The boy knew his parents’ marriage was less than stellar but he tried to keep Tony from seeing the ugly things. The bad side of Maria. The side Howard knew of her. He didn’t want to ruin Tony’s view of his mother.

“Tony…your mom and I…” Howard trailed off with a sigh, “I’m getting there kiddo.” Tony took a deep breath, sitting back again. Howard continued.

“We were expected to be _married_ off…” Howard said, deciding he should choose his words carefully from now on. “So in some ways, having an omega was also a blessing, because the dowry could take a family from extreme poverty to middle class in a matter of minutes.” Tony pursed his lips a little. Howard could tell he wasn’t liking this dowry thing but there really wasn’t much Howard could do about that. His past—it was what it was. “Traditionally, socially, omegas couldn’t be married until they were fifteen years old. Marrying an omega before that was highly looked down upon but there was no law substantiating that so…omegas could be married at any age, and the younger they were, the higher the dowry—But that’s another matter altogether.” Howard said quickly. Because Tony was starting to look concerned.

“My mother was an omega. And a quiet, pliant woman, a pushover. I never liked that about her.” Howard said thoughtfully. Reflecting back to when he was growing up. Thinking about his mother. It had been a very long time since he had done so. “She was very pretty though, your grandmother. Though to this day, I don’t know her name. My father called her everything but and she never told me.”

“That’s…horrible.” Tony said, probably more a thought to himself. “Why wouldn’t she tell you her name?” Howard paused, thinking. He had never thought about it before.

“Well…Our names were never really addressed, now that I think about it. Sure, there was some letters above a line on the birth certificate but after that no one really referred to omegas by their names. My dad referred to me as that ‘bitch boy’…” Tony bristled. If Tony didn’t erupt into a giant ball of protectiveness in a good half hour, Howard would be extremely surprised. “By brother and mother always referred to me as baby sub.”

“Are you serious?” Tony asked incredulously.

Howard nodded, “It supposed to keep us in our place. But that’s how we were trained, to be quiet and unchallenging. I, however, was very determined to never be that way. I hated the idea of being controlled, of submitting. My dad was so hard with mother. He would hit her, beat her sometimes. And she would just take whatever abuse he threw at her. Though, there really wasn’t anything she could have possible done about it.”

“Did he ever hit you?” Tony asked, and there was that familiar gush of pheromones from an alpha entering safe-mode. Tony’s safe scent. Something Howard knew all too well. Howard paused, wondering what he should tell Tony…He supposed he ought to tell him the truth. Maybe Tony would understand how he ended up the way he was.

“Yeah, whenever he thought I wasn’t minding him.” Howard said, keeping how frequent that was to himself. Tony didn’t need to hear everything. Tony hummed a little to himself, but didn’t say anything, just nodded, absentmindedly.

“My brother, Eduardo was his name. He was never as hard me or mother the way dad was. He wasn’t exactly gentle either but…He tutored me. Taught me how to read and all about science and engineering. I think he was amazed by intellect, so he didn’t really think of me as an omega. More like a beta. And I wasn’t a push-over. He learned that quickly when he tried to order me around once when I was a kid. I kicked him in the knee.” Howard chuckled a little, to himself. Remembering Eddie’s surprised face when Howard had kicked him. “And he would take me with him around town, and even into Florence a couple of times. When he was home from school. And he was pretty kind to other omegas, in his own, traditionalist way.” Howard said, thinking back to when was around six or seven. Eddie had lectured on and on to him about how he needed to learn his place and stay in it. _‘You need to learn how to submit. No good alpha is going to want a sassy sub. I want you to be sold to someone kind.’_ Eddie had told him as he lifted Howard into his arms, carrying him to the market. Howard figured now, that was his way of being protective and brotherly. He said sold because back home that what it was called: selling. But now that he was thinking back on it, it was more of a dowry system.

“Eddie was also having a fling with president’s young wife back at his school. Got himself expelled. So he transferred to a school further away, so I saw him a lot less as I got older. Then he got married and had some kids of his own. But by then I was here, in America.” Howard said. Philandering. Something Eddie learned from their father.

“So you came to America? When?” Tony asked, obviously still trying to figure out his parents met. Howard sighed.

“I’m getting there.” Howard said simply. Tony deflated a little but continued to listen patiently. “My old man did not like the fact that we were pretty close. He was a traditional asshole, my father. And repulsive. He wasn’t a genius like the Eddie and I. I always assumed we got our brains from mother. She seemed like she might have been intelligent had she talked more. My father was called himself a business man. Though he couldn’t find a job. When he did, he was such a drunk and a gambler that he couldn’t keep one. But he eventually went into business with a guy, an alpha. Giorgio Matteo Barnes. He was half Italian. He didn’t even know the language. But he was the brains of whatever it was they were doing. I don’t know what my father’s responsibilities were but Giorgio was making all the money. And my father was too but he had so many gambling debts…” Howard trailed off, tensing a little. His father’s debt…they were easing to the first thing that really changed his life. The first time Howard had ever been hurt in his life…and Howard was finding it a little hard to talk about. He had never talked about it before, tried to not think about it.

“Dad, are you alright?” Tony asked, very concerned. Howard attempted a reassuring smile.

“Yeah, I’m alright kiddo.” Howard said, or rather lied. He knew his poker-face was on point so there must have been a shift in his scent, his pheromones. Instinct. Something akin to a distress signal. He could never suppress his scent whenever Tony was involved. Howard reached into the drawer of the end table beside him and grabbed a cigar, lighting it.

“When I was twelve, Giorgio came over one day, and he was pissed. He was yelling at dad, arguing with him about something. I didn’t know what they were hollering about. They were speaking in English and I didn’t know the language back then. So I just stayed in my room, reading one of the books Eddie gave me. I was used to people coming over in a fit with my father.” Howard said, trying to fight back the sudden tightening in his stomach. He usually wasn’t one to lose his cool like this. Maybe his past affected him more than he realized. Tony was leaned forward, elbows digging into his knees. His lips were slightly pursed, his brow slightly furrowed but he seemed to handling every pretty well.

“They argued for the longest and then everything got quiet suddenly. And they started talking like civilized people. That had made me curious but since I still didn’t know what they were saying, I just stayed to myself. But I remember growing nervous. Especially when my mother made an objection to something they. She said ‘But he’s just a child’ in Italian. And received a slap for the effort. I heard my father hit her. That made me crack the door open and peek through. I didn’t like it when he hit her not that I could do anything about it but my father saw me. For the first time, he spoke kindly to me and said, ‘little one, there’s someone I want you to meet.’” Howard paused. “That was the first time he hadn’t referred to me as ‘omega’.” Howard said offhandedly. He got up and sat beside Tony. Instinct. Omegas looked to the doms tied to them for support, protection. And Howard this past visiting had affected Howard more than he ever thought it would. Tony grasped his hand.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Tony said. It didn’t take a genius to see where this was headed. Howard gave Tony’s hand a little squeeze and a small, reassuring smile. He was going to tell Tony he was fine but there was really no need to tell that lie so he just continued,

“He told me, that I had to go with Mister Barnes for the night and that he would bring me back home in the morning. He told me to do whatever he told me to do.” Howard paused then, his words catching in his throat. “And my mother didn’t say anything. She just let Giorgio grab my arm and drag me out the door. When he brought me back the next day, she helped me clean up. She told me she was sorry. I think I started hating her at that moment.” Howard said. He didn’t tell Tony how that bastard hurt him. All those disgusting things Giorgio did to him. Things he tried to not think about, things Howard knew he would never be able to ever talk about.

“Oh dad,” Tony said softly as he took off his jacket and wrapped it around Howard, holding him close, kissing his cheek. Normally, Howard would have bristled. He knew he was an omega but he didn’t always want to be treated like one. Tony knew that, but he was full-blown safe-mode now and Howard felt safe, here in his son’s embrace. Not that Tony would let him go even if he asked.

“Where is your dad now?” Tony asked now, his voice sounded so bitter.

“I assume still in Italy. And no Tony, I’m not going to let you go all the way to Italy just to get revenge.” Howard said. Tony sighed in honest dismay. “If he or Giorgio are even still alive. They were in their forties when that happen.”

“He never did it again, did he?” Tony asked.

Howard shook his head, “No, after that my father cleaned up a bit. He gambled less, drunk less. I think he felt bad.” Tony scoffed, and murmured something along the lines of ‘asshole’. Howard thought a little about Maria. She didn’t like for Tony to swear. Howard never cared. It would have been hypocritical for him to get after Tony about it when he could cuss a blue streak himself. “And then a few months later, Eddie came home for the winter and he told me about a girl he meet in one of his classes who interested in me because he had been bragging about my intelligence. He always said I was the one omega in Italy that could read.”

“He meet her when he was in college?” Tony asked. Howard nodded. “But you were only like, what, twelve? So she had to be at least eighteen, right? Or is the college system different in Italy?”

Howard sighed, “She was twenty-one at the time. Hardly anyone omegas were sold to someone near their age, unless a couple were promised at birth but that was for the elite class, far above us.”

Tony was quiet for a moment, “How old was mom?”

“She came to visit my parents, to talk with them.” Howard said, though he didn’t know why he was avoiding Tony’s question. He was going to find out in just a few minutes. “Eddie was super excited. Kept telling me not to screw this up. They got me all dressed up; there was a traditional attire for…well, everything.”

Tony’s eyes lit up, “Really? Like what?”

“Well, anything of importance, like birthdays, showers, weddings, child birthing—which is just ridiculous. Whoever came up with dressing up to give birth was a dumbass.” Howard answered.

“My birthday is in a few weeks, is there a dress up for that by traditional means?” Tony asked. Howard nearly groaned. He didn’t want to go through this with Tony. If he was going to throw a traditional birthday for Tony, it would take so much preparation. It would be exhausting.

“Yes.” Howard mumbled. “But let me finish before we start discussing that. I want to tell you about your oldest brother.” Howard said. Tony made a motion as if he were zipping his lips. Howard continued,

“So, Eddie brought her over and I recognized her immediately. She was a scientist; Eddie had told me all about her achievement during the years. She was finishing her second Ph.D. in Italy because she both of her parents were Italians who had immigrated to America and she wanted to connect with her roots. She was also a millionaire. Which was the thing that got my father’s interest. And when she offered her dowry, he nearly threw me into her arms. He told her she could take me as soon as the money was in the bank.”

“Was it mom?” Tony asked immediately, as if not knowing was burning him from the inside out. Howard sighed, knowing very well just telling Tony his mother bought him wouldn’t yield any positive results. He had to come up with a good why.

“So the next day,” Howard said, avoiding Tony’s question, much to the young alpha’s irritation but he only sighed impatiently. “My dad was three million euros richer and Eddie was helping me pack my things…I don’t know remember where mother was.” Howard said, just now realizing that he hadn’t seen her at all that day. Strange. Thirty-seven years later, and he just realized he never told her good-bye. “He made a pretty big fuss over me. Very un-alpha like. My father didn’t like it, kept trying to rush me out the door. But Eddie hugged me, told me some things he thought I should know, told me to stay in touch, and that he’ll miss me.” Howard said looking up at Tony, who was looking back at him expectantly. “It wasn’t until I was in the car with her that she told me her name was Maria Stark and—”

“So she bought you!” Tony exclaimed, on the edge of fury.

Howard sighed, “By American standards, we were married. It was the only way we could have married. It wasn’t her fault, kiddo.” Howard defended his late wife. Purely for Tony’s sake…though if he would be honest with himself, it wasn’t… _all_ bad. Maria had her good parts. The bad just outweighed the good. “She told me that see was amazed by my intellect, and that she was of the age that alphas were expected to be married and she needed to be tied to someone who was smart and help her run the family company.” Which wasn’t a complete lie. Maria did need someone to help her. She just wouldn’t have admitted to save her life. Tony pondered on that for a moment.

“You okay? I know that’s a shock.” Howard said, growing concerned.

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Tony mumbled, slightly miserable. “I just…what your sire’s name?” Tony asked suddenly, catching Howard slightly off guard.

“Cerrara. My name was Howard Cerrara.” Howard said. He hadn’t thought of his sire’s name in a long name. Hell, he hadn’t been a Cerrara for well over half his life.

“Did you keep in contact with your brother?” Tony asked.

“I do. I email him every now and then. But he’s stubborn, refuses to leave Italy. But he had done well for himself over there. He’s an engineer himself.” Howard said. Tony hummed a little, in thought, then he kissed Howard’s cheek again. Still very much in safe-mode.

“When I asked her how you guys met she always told me it was through a friend.” Tony said. “She could have told me.”

Howard nearly snorted, “No she couldn’t.” Tony huffed a little, but in amusement.

“What happened next?” Tony asked. Howard searched his eyes, making sure he was okay. That was a lot to take in. But Tony seemed to be handling it okay so he continued,

“Well, we stayed in Italy for a while, a few weeks, because she was graduating and we had to wait for her commencement and other things. It wasn’t until we got to America that she figured out I couldn’t speak English.” Howard said.

“She didn’t try talking to you when you were in Italy?” Tony asked.

“She did a little but she was very busy and I was starting to get sick by then and irritable so I was too talkative.” Howard said. Really, he had been just extremely miserable. In hindsight, he knew he had been getting morning sickness and that he was irritable because of hormones. And no matter how bad it was, he had been taken away from his home. The only home he had ever known. And it had happened so abruptly, making him so entirely confused back then. He had only been twelve at the time. With all that on his shoulders, the last thing he had wanted to do was sit up with a strange trying to figure out what the fuck they were saying.

“Do you still speak Italian?” Tony asked.

Howard nodded, “I still have a bit of an accent actually. It only comes out when I’m angry though.”

Tony chuckled a little, “I’ve noticed but I never thought to ask.” He said. Howard smiled a little to himself. Lord knows, no one could make him madder than Tony. His little alphaboy. “You should teach me.” Tony suggested. Howard looked up at him and smiled.

“I will.” Howard said. He would have long taught Tony his native but Maria had been very against it. “It was a shock to me when we came to America though. I hadn’t picked up that we were leaving the country.” Howard said, thinking about how much of a shock it was. He had been in a strange place and so very far away from anything familiar. To say that they started their marriage off in resentment would have been an understatement.

“As much as I hate to ask this…how old were you when you two started…you know…” Tony trailed off, seeming very uncomfortable. Howard chuckled.

“Eighteen.” Howard lied. They had consummated their marriage a few days after they were legally married in America. Against Howard’s will. But a choice was never really in the cards, was it? Tony easily accepted the lie.

“So…when did everything go wrong?” Tony asked. Howard sighed. He had meant to keep their unhappy arrangement out of Tony’s knowledge but the boy had seen entirely too much.

“I’m getting there kiddo.” Howard said. “Anyway, my father had told Maria that I was pure. That’s one of the reasons the dowry had been such a great amount. So when I started getting morning sickness, she had no idea what was wrong with me. Until my stomach started swelling. Pregnancy test were still very knew back then but since we really couldn’t communicate she had me take one anyway and it came out positive. She had been beyond furious.” Howard said, chuckling to himself. Pissing Maria off always gave him an indescribable joy.

Tony winced, “You were only twelve.” He said, sounding so sympathetic.

“Yeah,” Howard said, thinking back on it. “I was very young. But it wasn’t all bad. I would talk to my baby, read to him. Maria was gone a lot, working. The house was filled with butlers but they were all betas and doms scared me back then so I was mostly alone. I guess being pregnant gave me a bit of company. When I was around six months pregnant, Maria hired a personal maid for me. Said she would teach me English. Her name was Sarah. She was a beta and eighteen years old. She had a brother, named Joseph, he was an alpha. He was sixteen. They’re parents had died as he was left in her care. They were Irish.” Howard said, thinking back on Joseph, smiling to himself. “He was the gardener. Maria said she hired Sarah to keep me company but Sarah didn’t speak a lick of Italian. But we were both new to the country and I learned the language quickly.”

“What was his name again?” Tony asked. Howard didn’t even think when he immediately answered,

“Joseph. Joseph Rogers.”

“Did ya’ll…court?” Tony asked. Taking Howard by utter surprise. He must have stammered for a full minute.

“What made you ask?” Howard asked. Tony shrugged, nonchalantly.

“It’s just you blushed a little when you said his name and your eyes sparkled a little.” Tony said. Howard took a deep breath. Damn his omega ways. “Did you love him?” Tony asked. That just stunned Howard into silence for a moment.

“We’ll get there.” Howard said. Tony threw his hands up but Howard ignored him as he continued, “By the time I went into labor, I knew enough English to have a shallow conversation. He was born late at night, my first son. At three in the morning. I was in labor for seventeen hours.” Howard said as he reached into his pocket, taking out a picture of first son, handing it to Tony. “No one had really discussed such things with me before. It would have been near traumatizing had I not got a beautiful omegaboy out of it.” Tony looked down at the picture, seemingly mystified. “I was going to name him Giacomo, Italian for James. Giacomo Stark. But Maria…she said it wouldn’t do him any good to have an Italian name in America and she demanded that he couldn’t have her name.” Howard said, feeling that same pang of hurt he felt when she first told him that. As if it was his fault that he got pregnant.

“That’s cruel.” Tony mumbled, under his breath. Howard wanted to defend her but…Tony was right. Having a child that didn’t have his alpha’s last name made Howard look so _bad._ Like a hussie.

“I named him Giacomo James Buchanan Barnes. I remembered that in one of the books Eddie gave me to read, it said that James Buchanan had been one of America’s presidents. And I gave him Giorgio’s name because if I gave him my sire’s name, it would seem like he was bastard and I didn’t want that. Back home that would have been a big deal. In hindsight, I don’t think it would have mattered so much in America. And I threw Giacomo in there because I didn’t like Maria telling me what to do.” Howard said, with a chuckle. So essentially, his name was James James.

“So you had a baby when you were twelve?” Tony asked, with something pained in his eyes.

“Thirteen.” Howard said, taking back the picture. It hurt to look at it. God, he hadn’t seen his baby in so long. “When he was two, he got the idea that everyone should call him Bucky. So we did.” Howard said, handing the picture back to Tony. “This is for you. I’ve got plenty.”

Tony looked at him, “You sure?”

Howard nodded, “Yeah, I want you to have it. Here, he was just getting ready to head off to boot camp. Hardly my idea. Sending an omega into the military was insane. But Bucky had been adamant.” Howard said. It was actually a day Howard would rather forget. In hindsight, this is where everything went wrong, though didn’t find that out until several years later.

“What about the blonde?” Tony asked. Howard sighed. This had already resurfaced enough painful emotion, Howard didn’t think he could bare too much more. He hugged Tony and kissed his hair.

“I’ll tell you about him next week, when I get back from my business trip. For now, I was going to tinker with a jet engine down. Would you like to help me?” Howard said. Tony got the biggest smile.

“Yeah, that would be cool.” Tony said. Howard smiled. He guessed he had been really distant from Tony. Howard guessed, losing two sons made him cautious and Tony…Tony was Maria’s flesh and blood. And she wanted him all to herself…

But that was a tale for another day.


	3. Stephano Grant Rogers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all,
> 
> A quick background note, alpha and betas are also called doms.
> 
> This chapter came out shorter than I intended but I hope you enjoy it. :) :D

“Okay, I think I got it.” Tony said suddenly. Howard glanced up at him from where he was leaning over his half-finished jet, trying to make sure the engine fit. Tony was twirling a wrench in his hand, sitting on one of the lab benches, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Um, L-lei ha fatto maltrat…tare Bucky?” Tony said, stumbling through a few words. Howard smiled. Tony was learning his native tongue so quickly. But Tony always quickly grasped the things that interested him the most. Hence why the kid still couldn’t wash his own laundry.

“Who, your mother?” Howard asked as he raised up, wiping his hands on a towel. Tony nodded. “No, not really. She actually grew extremely fond of him.” Howard said, smiling as he thought back on it. Her kindness towards his kids was the only reason they stayed together…And after that, he stayed because of Tony. “She was even kind to Steve when he was born.”

“Steve?” Tony said. “The blonde?” Howard nodded. “…Was someone in mom’s family blonde...Or was your mother blonde?” Tony asked. Howard chuckled.

“No, Steve isn’t Maria’s son.” Howard said, chuckling to himself when Tony mouthed 'oh'. “Let me start at the beginning.” Howard said, as he sat on a stool beside Tony. “Back to what I was saying about Bucky and Maria, after he was born she was very kind to him. She treated him as if he were her own son. That being said, she did maintain a distance between the two of them. But I think, because Bucky was an omega and Maria was a traditionalist. She raised him as a traditionalist alpha would raise their omega child. He referred to her as alpha and she expected him to fold his hands behind his back and keep his eyes downcast when he was in her presence.” Howard said. Tony made a sound of understanding. She tried to train Tony to be that way, to be a traditionalist. But Tony came out liberal. Because defiance seemed to be a trait all Howard’s children picked up from him.

“That didn’t really jive with me. As I got older, I taught Bucky that he had a choice. That he only had to be submissive when he wanted to be. But when I was younger, when Bucky was young…I was a little different. More pliant. More automatically submissive. For the most part, when Maria told me to do something, I did it. Depending on how she did it.” Howard said, reflecting on himself and how he’s grown during the years. “I didn’t like it when she barked orders at my children. I guess that’s what really drove a wedge between us. That and as I got older, I just got tired of her bullshit but I digress…” Howard said, reminding himself to try be gentle when discussing Maria. For Tony’s sake. Though Tony only chuckled a little. He knew how his mother could be.

“Were you more like your mother?” Tony asked. Howard thought about it. He had never thought about it before but he figured he was. Being pliant was how he was trained to be and that was the only example of being a married omega he ever had.

“Yeah, I guess I was.” Howard said.

“That seems so unlike you.” Tony said. Howard smiled a little to himself. Tony had defiantly grown up with a far less submissive, far more dominating version of Howard.

“I can be submissive when I want to be. I just rarely want to.” Howard said.

“How come?” Tony asked. “I mean…I thought submission comes naturally to omegas.” Tony asked. Howard sighed. Leave it to his alphaboy to ask a hard question like that. Then again, this was a good time to discuss something he always to with Tony. Would have been had this talk with him but Maria had been adamant about giving Tony the birds and the bees talk.

“It does but within a certain context.” Howard said. Tony’s brow furrowed in confusion. “See, it’s about trust. Submission comes naturally when an omega knows they can trust the alpha they’re tied to, to take care of them. Keep them safe. If they don’t feel safe, then omegas can chose not to submit. Or be forced to. Even then, it’s not true submission. Just the alpha being a dominating asshole. Like, the difference between you wrapping me in blankets when you’re in safe-mode and I don’t object compared to…me and your mother. Ever.” Howard explained. Feeling a hint of regret. Thinking back on his relationship with Maria. He wished, now, that he had been a little more pliant towards Maria. Just so Tony could have witness something that resembled a normal relationship at least. Tony’s eyes lit up in understanding.

“Oh.” Tony said, pausing as he thought for a moment. “So, was there ever any alpha in your life that you submitted to?” Tony asked.

“Yes,” Howard answered, “There was this one alpha, but I’m getting there—”

“Joseph?” Tony asked immediately. Howard took a deep breath.

“I said I’m getting there. Be patient.” Howard said. Tony groaned, leaning back on his hand on the workbench. “Maria wasn’t home a lot. She was always working and back then, right after Bucky was born, I wasn’t working then. So I started hanging out with Sarah since I had no one else and we became good friends. And she helped me take care of Bucky. I was so young, I didn’t know what to do with a baby.” Howard said, and there was that familiar sympathy in Tony’s eyes. “And Bucky was fussy, he cried a lot. And I would freak out, because he would cry and I wouldn’t know what was wrong with him. I would run to Sarah. She always knew what to do.” Howard said, smiling fondly at the memory. He looked at Tony. “Now that I’m about it, I should let you meet her. She would love you.” Howard said.

Tony’s eyes lit up, “You kept in contact with her?” Tony asked. Howard nodded,

“Yeah, she’s since moved back to Ireland but I visit her at least once a year.” Howard said, then at Tony’s smirk, “Don’t you dare ask about Joseph.” Howard said. Because that…Joseph…that was something else he had been meaning to talk to Tony about. Tony deflated playfully. “Anyway, after a while, Sarah introduced me to her brother,” Tony whispered ‘I knew it’ under his breath. Howard ignored him. “Whom I had seen around the house but I had always been too shy to talk to him.” Howard said, and regretted the smile he couldn’t hold back that quirked his lips. Tony grinned.

“You had a crush on him?” Tony more stated than asked. Howard just sighed and Tony pinched his cheek. “Oh my God, you’re actually blushing.”

Howard swatted his hand away, “Tony stop it.”

“You should see how dreamy eyed you are right now.” Tony said, as he batted his eyes, in an exaggerated mock at Howard supposed he looked. Because really, he could feel it. He always turned into the giddy-in-love omega that he was when Joseph was mentioned.

“Tony I swear, I will leave you at this cliff hanger for forever.” Howard idly threatened. He couldn’t leave the story where it was because at the end of this time travel, he had a request for Tony. He needed his son to make a promise to him. Tony stopped immediately but leaned his head on his hands, his elbows resting on his knees, looking at Howard so intently and expectedly. Wearing that same stupid grin. Howard rolled his eyes fondly, smiling, as he continued,

“As I was saying, after she introduced us, Joseph and I started hanging out. Sometimes with Sarah, sometimes by ourselves.” Howard said. “He was gentle with me, and very kind. Always treated me with the upmost respect. He told me both of his parents were omegas. And gender equality was a little different in Ireland. There was still a gender hierarchy but omegas were treated a little better. But he also told me that he didn’t know much about the hierarchy. He grew up in a household where omegas had the authority. Neither one of his really dominated each other. He told his dad would take control sometimes but not really in dominance. Just because men had more authority in Ireland than women.”

“So he never treated me, and more importantly, Bucky, the way Maria did. And Bucky loved Joseph. He spoiled him. Always bought him toys, sweets, and everything else Bucky didn’t really need but wanted. But I was glad, because it was a good balance between how strict and reserved Maria was with him compared to how loving Joseph was.” Howard said, wishing he could wipe the stupid smile off his face because it gave away how fond Howard was of the alpha. Tony was watching him though, listening, smiling to himself.

“So, we went on as friends, growing closer to each other during the next couple of years.” Howard said, still smiling to himself. He got up, digging in his pockets for his keys. He walked over to the opposite wall, where he had a painting hanging up. It was picture of the Florence skyline. He always like to have a reminder of home near him. He took the framed painting and placed it on the floor, revealing a safe door. He unlocked it with his key, then input a code on the keypad. It opened easily and he took out a wooden jewelry box. When he closed it again, hanging the picture back up, he turned around to find Tony’s shocked face. His eyes were owlishly wide, his jaw was nearly touching the floor.

“The oldest trick in the book and I never even thought to look.” Tony said, looking at all the other paintings on the wall. Howard chuckled.

“Do you really think I would use the same trick twice?” Howard said. Tony hummed at that, shrugging a little. Howard chuckled again, thinking about how Tony was going to spend the entire night searching the house for secrets. And he was going to come out empty handed. “On my fourteenth birthday, he gave me this.” Howard said as he walked back to Tony, placing the chest down on the workbench. “He carved it by hand. I watched him work on it. I hadn’t known he was going to give it to me though.” Howard said as the smiled down at the smooth, wooden structure. There was an intricate decoration along the edges. It stood on four carved feet, shaped as leafs, and on the top, Joseph had carved, ‘To my love, Howard Antonio Gualtiero Stark’ in a beautiful, freehand script font. The box had lasted for thirty-five years. It looked the same as it did when Joseph first gave it to him. Of course, Howard took spectacular care of it.

“Gualtiero?” Tony said, after stumbling over the pronunciation. Howard nodded,

“It’s Italian for Walter.” Howard said, wondering why his parents didn’t just give me an Italian first name too.

“It’s beautiful. Is this a jewelry box?” Tony asked, looking down at it in amazement. Howard nodded, taking off the lid. It was filled to the brim with jewelry. All given to him by Joseph. Some…more recently then others.

“Oh my God!” Tony said as he took out the pieces, looking at them in wonderment. Some were hand crafted by Joseph. Those were mostly the older charms. Bracelets, earrings, pendants carved out of wood, bent, twisted copper, manipulated metal. Sometimes a combination of the three to make something beautiful and mind-blowing. Though everything Joseph made for him was mind-blowing. The more recent pieces were store bought. Brilliant, shining, pure gold necklaces. Pure silver rings. Platinum earrings. Though there was still some handmade stuff. Like, a chocker made from gems Joseph found when he and a friend of his, a geologist, toured half the world for research. And a charm bracelet, made from small seashells he found another trip he took with an oceanographer. And another choker. Made from pure, white and pink pearls Joseph found himself on several different trips. It took him years to find enough pearls to make the chocker.

“He told me, in Ireland, gift giving was the most important part of courting. So he bathed me with gifts.” Howard said. Looking down at the jewelry fondly, lovingly. “And he gave me several other things too, things that weren’t jewelry. Like that painting of that floor hanging up in my office and the small, rose sculpture sitting on my office at work. He was so artistic.” Howard said, taking one of the first rings Joseph had ever given him and trying it on. It still fit perfectly. Amazing. It had to be at least thirty-six years old. “So you can imagine, a year after all of this, my legs spread pretty easily.” Howard said.

“DAD!” Tony yelled.

Howard chuckled. “What? It wasn’t a meaningless fuck. We made love.” Howard said, thinking back on it with a smile. Joseph had been extremely gentle with him. He took his time. It had been fantastic. And…yea, he better stop thinking about it. Or else, he’ll need a cold shower soon. Tony groaned again.

“Still entirely too much information.” Tony grumbled, his voice muffled from where his face was buried in his hands.

Howard chuckled, “Okay, well anyway, a few months after we did, I started noticing the tell-tale signs of pregnancy—”

Tony gasped, “Was mom pissed?” That caught Howard a little off guard at first, until he remembered he told Tony that Maria and him hadn’t consummated their marriage until he was eighteen.

“Well, not yet. I had my first heat that year and she had to ease me through it so she thought the kid was hers.” Howard said. It was actually pretty, except for the implication that it was the only time she had touched him. But Tony didn’t question, just nodded understandingly. “She was pissed, however, when, the baby was born with a head full of blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. Nearly an exact copy of his sire.” Howard said. Pissed didn’t even begin to describe how fucking livid Maria was. She would have thrown him on the street for it if he hadn’t of cost her three million euros. But this time, Howard could sympathize with her. With Bucky, it wasn’t his fault. His affair with Joseph was not so innocent. Though he didn’t feel too bad. It was her fault for being a horrible human being.

“And again, she demanded that he couldn’t take her name. Not that I had planned to. I named him after Joseph’s parents. His mother was names Stephanie and his father was Grant. So I named him Stephano Grant Rogers.” Howard said.

“How did mom react?” Tony asked, seemingly more concerned for his father than his mother. In truth, Maria had beat him. That was when the hitting started. Howard had always thought he caused that upon himself. Before that, she would… _discipline_ him through questionable means but never out right hit him.

“She decided that I needed…to be disciplined.” Howard said. A half-truth. Tony cringed. “And she fired Joseph, threw him out the mansion. Told him she would have arrested if she found him on her property again. I cried when she did. I felt so guilty. Sarah had done all she could so that they could stay together and I felt as if I separated them. And most importantly, I felt as if I lost my mate.” Howard said. “Even though, he hadn’t claimed me.” And still hadn’t.

“But that wasn’t your fault.” Tony said immediately. “He courted you and he was older. He should have been more careful. Plus, had mom been more kind, I don’t think you would have fallen for him.” Tony said. Howard smiled a little. Protective. Tony was always so protective. “Did you get to see him again?” Tony asked.

Howard nodded, “Yeah. He found a job with the newspaper. Which brought him a steadier, more sufficient income than working for Maria did and he found an apartment. Whenever Maria was out of town, which was often, I would visit him. Would stay with him until Maria came back. I would bring the boys with me. Which was the things that really concerned me. I always felt bad that Bucky didn’t have a sire. I didn’t want Steve to grow up without one too. But he got to grow up with his sire involved with his life and Joseph took Bucky as his own.” Howard said. Tony smiled then.

“I’m so glad there was someone there to take care of you.” Tony said, very sincere. Howard smiled, patting Tony’s cheek.

“But your second oldest brother, Stephano. When he was born, he was so sickly, so extremely small. Before he was five, he was diagnosed with asthma, heart palpitations, low blood pressure, scoliosis, and had caught nearly every sickness known to man.” Howard said. “Maria said it’s what he deserved for being a child of infidelity.” Howard said, his voice sounded so, very bitter. Tony bristled. Howard took a deep breath, patting his cheek again. “I think she was just upset, kiddo.”

“That was still a cruel thing to say.” Tony said. And how was Howard supposed to object to that.

“But Stephano, Steve, I remember when he was a kid, around two or three, I told him that he couldn’t let anything hold him back. That he was just like everyone else. I just wanted to encourage him. Had I known the kid would take that to heart, I would have kept my trap shut.” Howard said, as he reached in his pocket and pulled out another picture. Steve was at boot camp, standing so proudly in his uniform. They had just gotten them issued. He handed it to Tony.

“Jesus!” Tony said. “He’s so tiny. How the hell did he get into the military?”

Howard sighed, “That is another very long story for another day.” Howard said. “But that’s yours too.” Howard said. He had another picture of Steve he wanted to give him but again, that was for another day. “Now, I want to talk about your birthday party.” Howard said, because after some thought, he decided it would be nice for Tony to have a traditional party and more importantly, it would make Tony so happy.

Tony’s eyes lit up excitedly, “Really? We’re actually gonna do it?”

Howard nodded, “And…if you want, you can meet Joseph.” Howard said. Tony froze in utter shock.

“He’s still around? He’s not in Ireland?” Tony asked. Howard shook his head. “Have I seen him before?”

“Yeah but…I didn’t know how to introduce you two. And it seemed…disrespectful to Maria.” Howard said. Now that he was older, he cared about things like that. No matter how horrid she was.

“No worse than how she disrespected you.” Tony said. “I would love to meet Joseph. He was good to you.” Tony said, very sincere. Howard smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lei ha fatto maltrattare Bucky? – Did she mistreat Bucky?


	4. Celebrations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot more romance in this chapter than I intended but this is all leading up to the sequel. I hope everyone is in character and that it's interesting.

Tony found out that an alpha turning sixteen in Italy did not call for a birthday party. It called for a massive celebration. Because in Italy, an alpha who was sixteen was considered an adult. The thing that added extra excitement was that in Italy, he would have been legally able to drink. And as part of the traditional celebration, he was to take his first drink. Tony was excited about it while his dad was dubious. He was going to avoid that part but Tony worked very hard to convince him to leave their tradition uninhibited. And his dad reluctantly agreed.

The special day took weeks to prepare for, and most of the hours of the day. It had been tiresome and seemed like something akin to working a full time job. But it seemed worth it when the day finally came and Tony was standing in front of a mirror, dressed to kill in his red Armani suit. Red was the color that represented alpha maturity in Italy. And it accentuated Tony’s natural dashingly handsomeness.

The young alpha was preening in front of the mirror in the living room, running a comb through his moussed hair, correcting his appearance to make sure he looked his best. Which was moot because he was Tony Fucking Stark. He always looked his best.

“You’ll go bald if you keep combing your hair out.” Tony heard his dad say from behind him. He turned to his dad with a smile that grew when he saw the omega standing there adorned in his sparkling white vest suit, but his dad went for the Versace. Definitely more of an omega choice. And for the first time in Tony’s life, his dad looked like an omega. Not that his dad was a cross-dresser but his attire was usually neutral, could work for any male. But right now, he was so…beautiful. A word he never really associated with his dad. Handsome, sure. But beautiful? Tony honestly just noticed.

But just because his natural beauty was shining bright and brilliant, doesn’t mean his dad wore it naturally. He seemed very uncomfortable in his new appearance. He was fidgety and nervous on his feet.

“Is that eyeliner?” Tony asked, getting his dad’s face to get a good look when the omega averted his eyes.

“Tony, make this insufferable and I will ground you for months.” His dad grumbled, though the shyness in his voice wasn’t lost on Tony. The alpha chuckled and kissed his cheek.

“I’m just saying, you are very pretty.” Tony said, very sincere, but he also knew that his dad hated to be referred to as such. And as expected, his dad glared at him. Which only made Tony chuckle.

“I wonder what your reaction would had been if I were Joseph.” Tony said, smiling when a blush took over his dad’s cheeks. The omega curtly turned on his heels and started heading towards the kitchen, with Tony following closely behind.

“Had I known you would tease me for weeks, I would have never told you about Joe.” His dad said as started picking up food items and carrying them into the ballroom. They had about an hour and a half before the festivities started and they had hired people to do the set-up, or rather Tony had. For a simple vain reason: so his dad wouldn’t have to do it.

“I can’t believe you’re so nervous.” Tony said as he grabbed his dad and pulled him back out the kitchen, so the workers can go about their jobs.

“Of course I’m nervous. You’re going to be meeting my paramour.”

“Which would have been a lot more awkward had mom been alive.” Tony said. True, he hated that his mother was gone, but because he missed her for her. Not because she had been a stellar alpha to his dad. At times, she could even be abusive. And that was just the surface things Tony had witnessed. He wondered how much really went on, unbeknownst to him.

“That’s true.” His dad nodded in agreement. “But still…you’re going to meet the father—parent of the two brothers you never met.”

Tony’s brow creased. For the first time, he truly thought about how his dad mentioned his absent brothers in the past tense. Which made him really realize the weight of their absence. If he could meet his dad’s lover from the past, why couldn’t he meet his brothers? He had kind of thought of them like they were some long ago mythical legend, but now that he was meeting Joseph, it made the fact that these brother’s, his dad’s older children, had been, or (hopefully) are, very real.

And Tony almost asked about what happened to his brothers but then the doorbell rung, interrupting Tony’s thoughts.

“Is that Joe?” Tony asked, bolting to the door before his dad could even answer, looking through the peephole. Startling when he saw a piercing blue eye looking back at his. Tony knew the other person couldn’t see him, that’s how the glass was designed, but it still was fucking uncanny.

“He has this habit,” His dad started, having snuck up behind Tony, his sudden voice startling the alpha even more. Tony glared at him while his dad just grinned back, continuing, “Of trying to see if he can see inside of people’s houses from looking inside their peephole. He’s quirky like that.” His dad said as he opened the door, with a hidden eagerness that Tony noticed. It was sweet but Tony wasn’t used to seeing such an emotion in his dad. Especially not in the context when there was an alpha waiting for him on the other side of a door.

But as the door opened, it revealed a tall, broad man dressed in a deep blue suit (from the looks of it, an Armani also). With golden blonde hair. Natural blonde hair, not that Tony expected an alpha to dye his hair that blonde, but the guy was Irish. He didn’t know their culture. The alpha, Joseph, stood erect, his mere presence demanding respect but it didn’t seem purposefully done. Because the lightheartedness in his eyes, in his cautious, nervous smile completely defied his appearance. It was sort of like staring at a cuddly teddy bear with claws and sharp teeth. It could cause harm, but everyone knew it, more than likely, wouldn’t.

“Baby!” His dad said as he wrapped his arms around the alpha. The dominance melted from Joseph as smiled brightly, as if he was just handed a treasure (and Tony was damn sure he had been) as he embraced his dad, initially pressing his lips against his dad’s. But then glanced up at Tony and his uncomfortable look and quickly pulled back to give the omega a brief peck on the cheek. Tony didn’t mean to be uncomfortable. He had just witnessed an extremely different side of his dad. The entire scene folding out before him had him stunned beyond words.

His dad’s eyes snapped back to Tony as if he had nearly forgotten he was there, then smiled nervously, mirroring Joe’s smile. And it was the atmosphere the surrounded them that had Tony smiling back. There was no tension, no uncertainty, not a hint of unpleasant history, of bad blood. There was only the strong air of the comfort, familiarity, and, security that came from a couple who have been very much in love for over thirty years.

“Tony, this is Joseph Rogers. Joe, this is my son, Tony.” His dad introduced them. Joe’s smiled widen as he visually inspected Tony, from head to toe. Tony couldn’t complain because he was doing the same thing. Joe’s son, Stephano, looked very much like his sire. The omega was just a tiny, unhealthy version of him.

“You look like your carrier.” Joe said suddenly, holding out his hand for Tony to shake. His accent rung loud and clear. Like this had been his first day in America. “Big brown eyes and all.” Tony smiled and shook his hand. He almost mentioned Stephano but he thought that maybe it would be a sensitive topic.

“It’s good to meet you.” Tony said. “I’ve heard a lot about you. You make my dad very happy.” Tony said sincerely. The older alpha blushed and ducked his head. Making Tony have to resist the very tempting urge to pinch his cheeks.

“You father makes me very happy also.” Joe said, wrapping an arm around his dad’s waist. And his dad naturally leaned into his warmth. Any other alpha who tried to touch him in such a way would have ended up crashed against the wall, nursing a severe headache. Tony knew, he had witnessed it on several accounts (most involving his mother).

Tony suddenly got a very good idea, since he was standing in front of the guy who had a wealth of knowledge of his father before he became his father, Tony decided to experiment and see how much information he could get out of Mister Rogers concerning his youthful dad.

“So, because I tend to be…adventurous,” That seemed like a good word to replace impulsive and risky, “dad has tried to convince me of this image of himself, where when he was a young man around my age, he was a model citizen—” Before Tony could even begin to ask if it were true or not, Joe threw his head back and honestly laughed. And his dad was quick to give him a very intense glare.

Joe recuperate slightly, “Oh come on darling. How did you tell him that with a straight face?”

“Because it was true.” His dad grumbled. Which just made Joe laugh again.

“Kid, I can tell you stories.” Joe said. And Tony’s eyes lit up. Tony gestured in the direction of the dining room, since he already had a sneaky suspicion that Joe knew the structure of their home anyway.

“The dining room should be set, I’d like to hear it now.”

“Ah-no,” His dad said, quick to interfere, “The guest should be arriving any minute and you will not have the time to discuss my youthful imprudence.” His dad said, pushing Tony towards the nearest exit. “And you still have a lot to do. So get to it.” Tony sighed in exaggeration as he walked out the living room but he didn’t go far, just around the corner, peeking back inside. Watching his dad and Joe chuckle about something before the kissed, the real kiss they had wanted to do when they first saw each other at the door but not in front of Tony. And just like before, Tony had no desire to witness it but before he turned around, the broke away and just held each other. His dad lying his head on Joe’s shoulder, hugging him tightly. Joe tenderly kissed his hair, holding him gently, still embracing the omega like he was holding a rare treasure (and he was). But it was the way that they held each other that made Tony curious. It was almost as if they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Tony wouldn’t know why not. His mother had been gone for a while now. Tony had thought they would have long hooked up. Unless there was some obligation on Joe’s part.

Tony smiled contently to himself, glad his dad had someone who loved him and took care of him.

-

“Do you know you have a scary disposition?” Tony told the tall blond more or less hovering around the punch bowel. He whipped his head around to Tony. Then his eyes widened in apprehension, as if Tony just told him he hated his existence.

“Don’t get me wrong. After a while, I noticed that you were as harmful as a teddy bear.” Tony told him, leaving the “with razor sharp teeth and claws” to himself. Joe smiled that nervous smile.

“You’re a lot like your father.” Joe said. “He would start a conversation like _that_.” Tony chuckled, looking across the room where his dad was speaking with his friend’s mom. He was glad, he didn’t want his dad to get in the way of the conversation he needed to have with Joe.

“Dad showed me the jewelry box you made him.” Tony said. Joe’s blushed, the red tint showed clearly on his pale Irish skin. “And he told me a little about his past, and how you were always there for him and I just wanted to thank you for taking care of him.” Tony said, very sincerely. Joe smiled brightly, in relief and gratitude. He obviously thought this conversation was going to head in a much different direction.

“Your father means a lot to me.” Joe said honestly, looking over at Tony’s dad. Every time Joe looked at him, his piercing blue eyes had this way of sparkling.

Tony smiled and nodded. “I know. And if you two every want to…you know, take your relationship to the next level. Then you have my full blessing.” Tony said, meaning every word. Joe’s shocked eyes jumped to him, staring at Tony as if he said something preposterous.

“You just met me!” Joe said. Tony chuckled.

“If you knew how much my dad has been talking about you for the past month, you would understand how much I already know about you.” Tony said.

Joe’s blushed again. “But what about your mother?” Joe said sympathetically. It was a polite and respectful to mention Tony’s mother but Joe had to have known how his mother was. And Joe knew damn well that his parent’s marriage hadn’t been happy.

“She’s been gone for almost a two years now.” Tony said. “Dad deserves to move on by now. And I’ll be heading to college in the fall. I’ll be coming back during breaks but I won’t be ‘coming back’. After I graduate, I’ll be moving on in a sense.” Tony said. Not realizing the full weight of him going to college until after he said it. It was almost comparable to him…moving out… Well that certainly put a new twist on it.

Joe looked down at his drink in deep thought. It was a type of Irish Rum that Joe had brought to the celebration. Along with some Irish dishes. Tony was glad he did, it certainly made the event more colorful. And Tony had a strange feeling of being connected to his brothers a little, through this intermixing of Italian and Irish cultures.

“Thank you Anthony.” Joe told him, his piercing blue eyes meeting his. Tony wondered was Stephano’s eyes this blue.

“Call me Tony.” The young alpha said, giving Joe a light pat on the arm. Joe smiled brightly. Tony figured being on nickname bases meant a lot in the Land of Ire. Tony nodded across the room to the omega he’s had a crush on for a few years now but had been ~~building the courage~~ deciding on how to approach him. Bruce, the omega, was a quiet kid that went to Tony’s school and was the only other person the young alpha had met, except his father, that was as genius as him. “Now if you excuse, I need to have an awesome conversation with that sexy yet idiosyncratic omega over there.” Tony said.

Joe laughed. “Best of luck to you.” Tony smirked, putting on his game face as he approached his conquest. Halfway there, Tony figured he should have asked Joe for some pointers but Bruce had already noticed him and smiled at him sheepishly. It would have been awkward had Tony suddenly turned around and hightailed it. So he just hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself.

-

“I’m glad your son doesn’t want to rip my head off.” Joe said as he came behind Howard when the omega was finally alone, wrapping his hands Howard’s waist. The omega smiled and leaned his head back on the alpha’s shoulder. Tony across the room, attempting to flirt with a shy omegamale who seemed equally intrigued and hunted. Tony had spent the greater part of the day flirting with every submissive that could walk, with the exception of the alphafemale in a wheelchair until he would catch Howard giving him the eye and he would behave for a moment. But his approach with this kid had been entirely different. There was something about this shy boy that made Tony lose his cool. Howard was glad about that, it meant that Tony respected whoever this boy was. Was serious about his interest.

But Howard had no idea where Tony got his flirty nature. Even if Joe kept telling him that he’s seemed to forgotten his not so distant past.

“If history repeats itself, he’ll be your son too.” Howard said. Joe chuckled and kissed his cheek.

“Speaking of which, does he know about Bucky and Stevie?” Joe asked.

Howard nodded. “He doesn’t know what happened to them though.” He couldn’t fight the sudden longing that filled his heart as he thought about his babies. Fifteen years later and he still missed them so much, as if he had lost them yesterday. Joe hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek again, the sudden shift in his scent told him that Joe still missed their children too.

Howard looked up at the son he still had, his alpha baby. By now he and that shy omega were conversing. Well almost. The omega’s body language was a lot more relaxed but he didn’t say a lot, just nodded with a genuinely fascinated smile as Tony nervously prattled away.

“What were you two chatting about?” Howard asked, more concerned about whether or not they were discussing his youthful nature more than anything else. After their introduction this morning, Howard was sure they would get along.

“I told him about you stealing Maria’s car and totaling it back when you sixteen.” Joe said, his voice oh so casual. Howard glared up at him. Joe laughed and kissed his hair. “Just kidding…he gave me his blessing. Said we can advance our relationship if we chose to.”

“ _Oh_.” Howard said, for some not expecting that. He should have. Tony knew they had been together for a very long time, knew that Joe raised two boys with him. And Tony would be leaving soon, heading to college. Howard didn’t like to think about it; it almost felt as if he were losing another child but it probably made Tony concerned that his omega father would be left alone and over three hours away from him. It was only logical that Tony would give them the green light know that they finally had the chance. And the only reason he and Joe hadn’t taken the chance was because of Tony. Neither of them had known how to bring it up to him.

“I think we should wait until Tony’s in college.” Joe suggested cautiously. Howard sighed, closing his eyes. It would be the best thing to do, Howard knew that. It would give Tony the chance to really get to know Joe before he left for college and the alphas could get more comfortable with each other. But after being forced to share most of his life with a little-less than abusive alpha, the omega in him could help but to sigh _‘more waiting?’_ in wistful impatience, restlessness, and longing.

“Hey, don’t look like that.” Joe whispered in his ear, hugging him tightly again, and kissing his cheek. “I want to be with you more than anything. I hope you know that.” Howard nodded.

“I know.” He said sincerely.

“Good. I just think waiting a bit would be better for Tony. That doesn’t mean we have to stay secret. For the first time, we can actually be together.” Joe said eagerly, intertwining their finger and kiss the back of Howard’s hand. “And then when Tony’s away at school, we can get married.”

“ _Oh_.” Howard gasped, something else he should have expected but hadn’t. They had spent so much of their relationship trying to stay unnoticed and hidden, he almost didn’t know how else to operate. He had gotten used to it.

They could get married now.

Howard smiled as that realization washed over him. They could get _married_ now. That made him inexplicably happy. He turned and kissed Joe. It was supposed to be a quick press of the lips since they were more or less surrounded. But somehow, the quick peck didn’t manage to stay as chaste as Howard had meant for it to be. At least not for him.

“I hate to make you wait even longer. But I know how to make it up to you.” Joe whispered to him when he broke away, his voice playful and teasing. The way it got when he was getting excited.

“How?” Howard asked coyly. He exhaled slowly when Joe kissed the back of his neck, wrapping his arms around Howard.

Joe said. “Well, I could place my claim on you, right here.” He kissed the highly sensitive skin at the nape of Howard’s neck. It sparked every nerve in Howard’s body, and would have caused him to jerk forward but Joe had a firm grip on him. “You could finally belong to me.”

“It’s still bullshit because now we have to wait until after the celebration.” Howard grumbled, though he was still taking deep breaths.

Joe chuckled. “Yes, but you’re going to be a good boy, aren’t you?” Howard playfully glared back at him. Joe chuckled again and kissed his cheek. “I’ll go grab us some cold water.”

“Acqua fredda non è una cura per le sfere blu.” Howard said after him and Joseph laughed.

-

It was late, around midnight and the guest were beginning to slowly but surely straggle out. Especially the younger crowd, the kids around Tony’s age who were arguing with their parents as they slumped out the door, complaining that it wasn’t a school night and that the party was sick. Tony would have been glad they thought so but he was too busy being smitten with Bruce. Once he started conversing, Tony realized he was a million times more intelligent than Tony had initially anticipated.

They had drifted from the ballroom to the living room, to the courtyard patio. It was beautiful tonight. The moon was bright and there was a cool breeze drifting through the warm air. They were only chatting. Tony would have been too nervous to being to suggest anything different. And even if he hadn’t, Bruce was extremely easy to startle and Tony had witnessed Bruce’s short-temper at school a few years back when a bully mistakenly had taken shy and quiet Bruce as his next victim. That ended with the bully swallowing a mouthful of dirt. Repeatedly.

But Tony noticed that they were moving closer to each other. Sometimes Tony took a closer step and sometimes Bruce made the excuse to lean closer by pointing at one of the flowers, still visible, in the garden. And when their bodies were finally touching, Tony paused in the middle of the sentence he had already forgotten and looked down at Bruce, telling him he was pretty. Bruce blushed and ducked his head, saying a quiet, “Thank you” as he looked up at Tony through his lashes.

And when Tony suddenly heard someone yell “Hey!” Tony most definitely did not startle and scream. He kept his cool like the man he was. That’s why Bruce was staring at him with that quirked eyebrow. Because he was shocked by all the manliness Tony’s scent was throwing off.

Tony looked around, trying to find the source of the disturbance of peace and finally looked up to find his dad and Joe staring down from the third floor window…and where they laughing. There was nothing funny about Tony’s manliness.

“DAD!” Tony yelled up at him.

“I just didn’t want you two to stare too deeply into each other’s eyes.” His dad called down at him. From the faint glow of the moonlight and the light shining from inside the house, Tony could see Bruce’s face go bright red. Tony just covered his face with his hands. He wondered did Stephano and Giacomo have to go through this.

“Can we have some privacy?” Tony called up at his dad.

“No.” Was his dad’s blunt answer. Tony glared up at him but looked back down at Bruce’s pretty face when he heard the omega chuckle.

“It’s alright Tony. I have to get back home anyway.” Bruce said. He leaned forward and kissed Tony’s cheek, before he walked back into the house. Tony watched his receding back then looked back up at his dad and Joe with a heated glare.

“You didn’t even help me.” Tony told Joe, making the older alpha chuckle.

Joe said, “Patience is a virtue, Anthony. I courted you father for a year before we—“

“I KNOW!” Tony yelled up at them. Making the two laugh again.

“Became a couple, is what I was going to say.” Joe finished. Tony glared up at them.

“Speak of which,” His dad stared. “Joe and I are going to catch a late night movie. So Jarvis and Peggy will be monitoring the rest of the celebration.” Tony bent over and lightly pounded his head on the patio railing. Did they _really_ expect him to believe this late night movie bullshit? Joe was going to tap his dad and now Tony was forced to spend the rest of his life knowing it.

“I can’t express enough how much I didn’t want to know that.” Tony yelled.

“No, we really are going to the cinema. Rambo came out Friday.” Joe said. Tony thought about it. His dad had been pretty excited about the new Rambo movie. And maybe they really will go to the cinema, some of the bigger theatres were still open, but Tony still knew that at some time tonight something else was going to happen. He decided to try and drown the knowledge out with a virgin tequila. Because after his adulthood-introductory drink, Tony was forbidden to touch it until he was twenty-one.

“Fine, have fun.” Tony said with a dismissive wave as he walked back into house. He had to walk through the living room to reach the ballroom and a white piece of paper sticking out from the fruit bowl caught Tony’s eye. He walked over to it and picked it up. Scribbled on it was the name Bruce Banner followed by a ten-digit number.

That put the wide smile back on Tony’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Acqua fredda non è una cura per le sfere blu. - That does not cure my blue balls.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you enjoyed it. :D
> 
> Please leave feedback and feel free to criticize; I am always looking for opportunities to grow.
> 
> I’ve launched an E-Zine where people submit their favorite fics and the best ones get published in the zine. I’m doing this because I want to create something that acknowledges fanfic writers and makes them feel confident about themselves while bringing people of different fandoms together. To submit your favorite fics, go [Here](https://goo.gl/forms/h0LI8s7WGgZV2gBl1).


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